Findings
Houston, Texas
Volume 7, Issue 3
March 2009

News briefs

Women's Center for Comprehensive Care lands new director

Elizabeth A. Nelson, M.D., was named the new director of the Women's Center for Comprehensive Care at the Baylor Clinic.

The WCCC offers a wide array of services to help evaluate and treat women's health care needs, including a healthy lifestyle assessment, a disease prevention assessment, a weight management assessment and an executive physical program.

Nelson is an associate professor of medicine – general medicine and has had a long-standing interest and expertise in women's health as an educator, practitioner and administrator. She has lectured widely on women's health topics locally, nationally and internationally and is a member of the TMC's Women's Health Network. In addition to her new role as WCCC director, Dr. Nelson maintains an active general medicine practice at the Baylor Clinic and also serves as senior associate dean of medical education and director of the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education.

Breast Center faculty honored

C. Kent Osborne, M.D., director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, and Jenny Chang, M.D., professor in the Breast Center, were honored by The Texas Gulf Coast Affiliate of Breast Cancer Network of Strength at its inaugural "Unmasking the Unsung Heroes" event.

The event paid tribute to outstanding caregivers who were nominated by breast cancer survivors and members of the Houston community. The honorees represent the most dedicated, innovative and compassionate doctors specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the Houston area. The heroes "unmasked" at the event excel in areas beyond their slate of patient visits and research, including cutting-edge breast restoration surgery, Hispanic community outreach, community service and fundraising.

Noon earns DeBakey Humanitarian Award

The Open Door Mission, a faith-based recovery and rehabilitation shelter, honored George Noon, M.D., professor of surgery, with the 2009 Michael E. DeBakey M.D. Humanitarian Award.

The Open Door Mission Foundation established the award in 2007 to recognize a person or organization showing extraordinary humanity and compassion for Houstonians in need. Established in 1954, the Open Door Mission is dedicated to transforming the lives of homeless, addicted, destitute or disabled people in the greater Houston area.

Zoghbi to receive prize for biomedical research

Huda Zoghbi, M.D., a Baylor College of Medicine physician-scientist who has pioneered the discovery of genes responsible for neurological disorders, will receive the 2009 Vilcek Prize for biomedical research April 2 in New York City.

Zoghbi, a professor in the departments of molecular and human genetics, pediatrics, neurology and neuroscience at BCM and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is being recognized for her research on Rett syndrome and related autism spectrum disorders. She is also director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital.

The Vilcek Foundation honors and supports foreign-born scientists and artists who have made outstanding contributions to society in the United States. Since 2006, the Vilcek Prizes have been awarded annually to foreign-born individuals for their extraordinary achievements in the fields of biomedical research and the arts. Zoghbi was born in Beirut, Lebanon. The award consists of $50,000 and a specially designed, commemorative trophy.